Thank you, she offered belatedly but he was already gone.
“It was Velmar,” she told the others. “And he said I can access the images with Jaron’s help.” She moved closer to Jaron, ready for the ordeal to be over.
“Why don’t you use one of the guest flats and see what you can learn,” Salvo suggested.
Jaron nodded as he wrapped his arm around Nikki. “You did great in there, by the way.”
“Well, I hated every minute of it. I hope you never need me again.”
Smiling warmly, Jaron leaned down and gave her a reassuring kiss.
Salvo opened a portal for them a few minutes later. They walked through together and emerged in an apartment similar to Salvo’s. It was smaller and not quite as elegant, but still nice.
“I can’t hear Velmar when he speaks with you,” Jaron admitted. “That shouldn’t be possible.”
“I get the impression that a lot of what he does shouldn’t be possible. Isn’t he in another village right now?”
“In the forest outside one, but yes. By common shuttle, his cabin is many hours from here.”
“And yet he effortlessly reached into my mind and guided the probe, then triggered a memory transfer.” She shivered. “I’m glad he’s one of the good guys.”
“As are we.” Jaron took her by the hand and led her toward the sofa facing the fireplace.
Not yet ready to refocus on the mission, Nikki indulged her curiosity. “You know, something has bothered me about what Kara and Natalie told me. Part of their story doesn’t make sense.” They sat side by side, but Jaron gathered her legs and pulled them onto his lap which turned her sideways. Rather than object, she scooted back and relaxed against the sofa’s armrest.
“Which part doesn’t make sense?” he asked as he slipped off her shoes.
“They claim that the Outcasts chose this planet because they believed it was uninhabited.” She motioned to their surroundings. “Clearly, that’s not true.”
“There were a number of factors at work that led to the misunderstanding.” He began to rub her feet as he spoke and Nikki moaned. “Is that too hard?”
“God no. It feels amazing.”
Clearly pleased, he continued the massage and the explanation. “The site the Outcasts chose for their settlement is very near our capital. Riverside was the first Sarronti village utilized after the Great Devastation so it is entirely underground.”
“Didn’t the Outcasts scan the planet, or even fly over it and look around? Ghost City is pretty rundown, but it’s visible from a shuttle. So are parts of Lake Walker Village.”
“My people will fiercely defend those they love, but for the most part we are non-confrontational.”
“Someone needs to explain that to Zerna. I only comprehended a small fraction of her memory stream, but one thing was clear. She wants, and was actively working toward, world domination.”
“Those that have power are often corrupted by it,” he said firmly. “You cannot judge an entire race by the actions of a few.”
“I know. I also know that the more power a person has the more corrupt they tend to be. It’s the same with humans. Anyway, how did that concept lead to the Outcasts thinking no one lived here?”
“We live simple lives, but many know of our magic so we have been attacked and victimized many times down through history. Long ago it was decided that camouflaging our villages and leading others to believe the planet is abandoned would be our best defense.”
“How do you camouflage the villages? You can’t make an entire city disappear.”
He grinned, making her doubt her assertion. “It doesn’t disappear. It just looks as if it has been mostly reclaimed by the jungle.”
“Can you show me what you mean?”
“Sure.” Using the control band in his forearm, Jaron activated a holographic display in the middle of the living room. “This is what the city looks like when the illusion generator is off.”
A three-dimensional image of Ghost City appeared. Salvo kept escorting them from one place to another, so she hadn’t seen much of the city. It was expansive without being cluttered, more like LA than Manhattan. Large sections were obviously deserted. Most of the buildings had collapsed and the streets were impassible. The areas still in use were easily spotted as well. There was order, function, and life, from greenish-blue parks to usable streets and shuttle lots. There was no way anyone would mistake this for an uninhabited relic.
After giving her a few moments to study the display, Jaron entered a command into his subdermal